Worcester Animal Rescue League is a non-profit animal shelter that is cared for by a committed staff of paid employees and volunteers. WARL commonly needs volunteers to help with everything from animal care to general office support; from staffing special events to working on creative projects. Here is some detailed information.

    The next time you find an excuse to abandon your ambition, think of Chris Nikic. On November 7, 2020, 21-year-old Chris Nikic made history as the first person with Down Syndrome to attempt and complete an Ironman. Organized by the World Triathlon Corporation, it requires athletes to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run a full 26.2-mile marathon-in under 17 hours!

    The event, which took place in Panama City, Florida, began early in the morning with a two-lap swim in the Gulf of Mexico. Chris, who was tied to his coach for safety, completed the course well within 2 hour, 20-minute time limit.

    The 112-mile bike ride, which Chris rode alone, proved a little more challenging. Not accustomed to drinking water while riding, he was forced to make multiple stops. To make matters worse, the young athlete was attacked by an army of red ants whose nest he accidentally stepped on during a break. He also had a bleeding knee after crashing while speeding downhill. Despite these setbacks, Chris managed to complete the lap before the 5:30 pm cut-off time.

    The competition's final challenge—a two-lap 26. 2-mile run along the waterfront- started smoothly. However, Chris was tired out? by the tenth mile. But, with encouragement from his coach and cheering bystanders, the youngster somehow managed to cross the finish line in 16 hours, 46 minutes, and 9 seconds-almost 15 minutes under the 17-hour time limit.

    Chris is no stranger to overcoming challenges. Born with two holes in his heart, he underwent surgery at just five months old. He was too weak to walk independently until he was four. Due to his Down Syndrome, every expert his parents spoke to focused on the limitations rather than the possibilities.

    To Chris, this race was more than just a finish line and celebration of victory. It's about being an example to other kids and families that face similar barriers.

    Imagine arriving at the airport…passing through security…finally boarding your flight and taking off…only to land a few hours later—right back where you started. No. Your plane didn't have a mechanical issue. You actually bought a plane ticket to nowhere.  It's a new kind of air travel that's become popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    A growing number of airlines-including Qantas in Australia and All Nippon Airways in Japan—offer flights that take off and touch down at the same airport-without landing anywhere in between. Recently, Qantas introduced its first seven-hour scenic flight scheduled for Oct. 10 that featured views of the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Harbor and the Uluru monolith. Tickets—which cost between 560 dollars and just over 2,700 dollars—were sold out in 10 minutes, according to the airline. The airline industry—the travel industry overall—has just been damaged by the pandemic. The International Air Transport Association predicts the airline industry as a whole will lose 84 billion dollars this year and almost 16 billion dollars in 2021 because of the pandemic. So this new kind of air travel offers airlines an opportunity to make some money and also keep staff working.

    However, environmental groups say these "flights to nowhere" should not be the answer for cash-short airlines. Mark Carter, spokesman for Flight Free Australia（an environment group）argues, "Too many of us are unaware of flying's contribution to the climate crisis. And the passengers on Qantas' 'flights to nowhere' will increase their annual carbon release as they fly over the Great Barrier Reef because warming is causing repeated mass bleaching (白化) events before the Reef has time to recover."

    Fire ants tunnels get dug efficiently by only a small percentage of the group doing most of the work, thus avoiding pileups in tight spaces. What about the freeloaders? They just sit around while their hard-working colleagues get things done. But might freeloaders actually be necessary for society to function efficiently? The answer could be yes—at least when it comes to fire ants and their efforts to dig nests underground.

    Fire ants are highly social creatures. So, Goldman, a physicist at Georgia Tech, and his colleagues wanted to know how individual ants knew what to do without a central leader issuing orders. To find out, Goldman's team labeled individual fire ants with paint and then watched them dig their narrow tunnels—barely wide enough for two workers. It turned out that just 30 percent of the ants did 70 percent of the labor. "I was surprised that we ended up with so few workers actually doing the work at any one time." A quarter of the ants never even entered the tunnels. Others moved inside, but left without digging a single grain of dirt. These behaviors ensured the crowded tunnels did not get blocked with insect traffic, which would put the construction process to a stop.

    And when the scientists removed the five hardest-working ants from the site, others immediately jumped in to take up their positions-with no reduction in the group's productivity. It seems that it doesn't matter which ants are working or freeloading at a given time, as long as there is some division of labor to keep the tunnels flowing smoothly. The findings appeared in the journal Science.

    The study could have implications for robotics. Imagine groups of robots sent to search the ruins for disaster survivors or nanobots coursing through our bodies to detect illness and deliver targeted medical treatment. Such robot groups will need to avoid getting jammed up in tight spaces.

    The latest thing in architecture is green buildings—covering walls and roofs with a carpet of plants to prevent heat, absorb rain and provide a home for wildlife. Many such buildings need complex systems for holding and irrigating the soil.

    Ivy is a group of evergreen climbing plants, whose power to live is hard to beat. Firstly, it can live in almost any surroundings, whether in shade or full sun.It grows well in both dry and damp soil. Moreover, it doesn't need supports as it grows aerial roots that can be attached to most things. For these reasons, ivy can be widely grown to beautify an ugly wall or a fence.It is a heaven for bees and butterflies in summer and its berries are a valuable food source for birds in winter.

    However, there are some concerns about growing ivy. Ivy has a reputation for damaging buildings, but according to the UK's Royal Horticultural Society, this doesn't usually happen unless the walls already have cracks.But Blanusa at the University of Reading, UK, who has examined the effects of plant climbers, finds that ivy raises humidity next to the wall by only a small amount.

    Once ivy has been in the ground for a few years, it can grow out of control. Just don't let it get the better of you.

A. Growing ivy can bring added benefits.

B. Therefore, I strongly oppose growing ivy.

C. The other fear is that it can make walls damp.

D. Besides, it can be tolerant of various kinds of soil.

E. Anyway, you do need to be careful in growing ivy.

F. An ivy-covered wall will slightly warm a room in winter.

G. However, there is a much easier approach: growing some ivy.

    "You can handle it, Matt." said Mr. Wolf, my fourth-grade band teacher, as he put the heavy tuba into my arms. I felt1because I had asked for other band instrument, not the tuba. I knew what Mr. Wolf2. In his mind， I was the only one who could handle it. And he was3. In fourth grade, I was4a foot taller and 50 pounds heavier than any of my classmates.

    Now I'm 6 feet 3 inches and weigh 240 pounds. Since freshman year, my football coach has had only one5place for me: the line. I was never offered the outstanding6of running back or quarterback. I had to be where size7.

    Somehow my size has8me from any solo performances in music or sports. As is often the case, there is a(n)9chance that a tuba player or a lineman will get10. But I seldom complain about this lack of11. Instead, I worked hard to improve myself.

    In school, my classmates formed a(n)12impression of a big kid: either a clumsy fool or an annoying "tough guy". To correct their expectations, I13to become athletic and even graceful. I made sure that I played well in all the sports I14and I even joined in a ballroom dance class.

    Looking forward, I know that my size will15me to accomplish many positive things, whether in college, in a career or in just helping others.

Chinese Gardens

    The Chinese garden has a long history. It first(appear) as early as the 1lth century B. C. during the Zhou Dynasty. It is usually referred toa place of beauty and a harmonious connection with nature.

    Famous for the(rich) of theme ideas, the Chinese gardens are deeply rooted in the traditional Chinese culture.(base) on that, Chinese gardens focus on the harmony between heaven, earth and man. Honoring and following nature becameunshakable principle of building Chinese gardens. With this principle,(create) a garden, designers integrate buildings, mountains, rivers and plants as one, featuring man-nature coexistence and harmony.

    Typically, there are three major(element) of a traditional Chinese garden: water representing(constant) changing nature, stones(indicate) stability and strength and plants providing beauty, harmony, etc.

    Overall, the Chinese gardens do not take the actual landscape we can see as the ultimate design goal. Instead, they are all about the images behind the landscape and meanings beyond what is expressed, is the so-called "view borrowing".

1）听力困扰；

2）请求帮助；

3）表示感谢。

1）词数80左右；

2）请按照如下格式在答题卡上的相应位置作答。

Dear David,

……

Yours,

Li Hua

Snowflakes dancing in the sky, it was an awfully cold winter. Mary felt as gray as the sky outside. She struggled to get by the tough winter because her bills went up while her income went down.

Her refrigerator sat empty. Her only food consisted of peanut butter, bread and bananas, only enough for two sandwiches. Worse still, it would be four days before she got paid. As Mary prepared to sit down and eat half of her remaining food, she heard a knock at the door. Who could it be on such a freezing night?  Robbery scenes from films flashed across her mind. Then Mary shook her head and laughed at her foolish thought-no robber would choose her as a target. Opening the door, she saw a stranger standing outside, body trembling with cold.

"Madam, sorry to disturb you, but I'm lost and get stuck in the snow. Could you please spare a piece of bread?" the stranger asked cautiously and politely in a weak but deep voice.

"I'm afraid not," said Mary, "but I could make you a peanut butter and banana sandwich."

"That sounds wonderful," the stranger answered. "Mind if I wait here on the porch?"

"Yes, I do mind," Mary replied, "but you could come in and eat it at the table."

Not expecting both food and warmth, the stranger entered the house eagerly. Mary hurried off to the kitchen for the last four pieces of bread, peanut butter, and bananas. In a few minutes, she returned and invited him to sit down to eat what she could offer. After eating, the man thanked and said goodbye to her.

Looking outside, Mary hesitated a moment and said, "If you don't mind, you can sleep on the sofa." "That would be good enough," responded the man gratefully.

Mary went into her room, and locked the door. The next morning, when she woke up, she remembered the man. "How will I tell him I have nothing for breakfast?" she asked herself. She dressed, unlocked, and opened the door slightly.

注意：

1）续写词数应为150左右；

2）请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

To her surprise, the man was nowhere to be seen.

……

Mary opened the envelope and found a letter.